The business and culture of our digital lives, from the L.A. Times

Spotify announces it's coming to the U.S. but doesn't say when

July 7, 2011 | 7:55
am

The popular European music service Spotify has announced it is making a move into the U.S. but so far it appears to be a lot of noise.

The Swedish company's entry into the U.S. market has been highly anticipated, but besides allowing eager Americans wanting to use the service to sign up for an invite, a teaser posted Wednesday gave no details about Spotify's jump across the pond.

Company Town notes that the start-up's announcement is considered a surprise because Spotify hasn't yet obtained the licensing needed to play music from the Warner Music Group.

From the Company Town report:

Spotify has secured agreements with the other three major record labels -- Universal Music Group, EMI Group and Sony Music Entertainment.

Warner, which declined to comment, sits on a treasure trove of music from Bruno Mars, Green Day, Led Zeppelin, Cole Porter and Eric Clapton, to name a few.

While nothing stops Spotify from launching without a deal from Warner, it would be hard-pressed to compete against other music services already in the U.S. market with such a gaping hole in its offerings.